Unfortunately in the modern world, I find little consensus among university professors as to what, as a whole, teaching responsibilities consist of. To many, teaching is merely to facilitate learning by providing lectures and guidance culminating in strict evaluations of what has been learned. But be it official or personal, I see the term "teaching" as ensuring that each student in fact does learn the course objectives. As such, I view a student's failure to learn as my own failure to teach effectively. I feel that a teacher provides not only knowledge, but also purpose, motivation, and direction with continuous evaluation and attention to the different learning requirements of different students. If this were not true, students would need only books, not teachers.

Every learning objective has its purpose and that purpose is key to both motivating and guiding students to study. If they don't know why a subject must be understood, where does the incentive to learn it derive from? Understanding the reasons to know a subject also puts that knowledge into the necessary perspective for consecutive phases of learning.

Fundamental to the art and science of teaching is effective communication which requires constant verification of learning. A teacher's communication therefore consists of open discussions, quizzes, and exams just as much as it does lectures, projects, and reading assignments. These varying angles and levels of evaluation help to pin-point students' specific needs for a teacher's reinforcement.

Teaching, however, is a personal as well as professional endeavor. As such, I prefer real-world research as a principle method of inspiring my students and myself toward learning objectives. This approach, when possible, enlivens the creativity and richness of education by bringing theory into practice. At the same time, it helps to keep me up-to-date and in-touch with the contemporary applications of my area of expertise.

In conclusion, I'd like to state that the ultimate goal is what students take with them when they leave. This is not merely course objectives generically accomplished; nor is it a satisfactory letter grade. It is a full academic experience of getting to know the nature of what they've learned. Simple memorization of facts and concepts alone cannot guarantee success in the world that it is my job to prepare them for.